I have the possibility of buying a Mauser rifle, but would like to know more about it. Here is what I know:

Receiver is marked on the left side with two lines of text.
Top line: The letter 'P' in a circle followed by "8 ESPINGARDA PORTUGUEZA 6.5 MOD. 1904"
Bottom Line: "DEUTSCHE WAFFEN-UND MUNITIONSFABRIKEN BERLIN"

Top of receiver has a crown marking and the intertwined letters 'I' and 'C' as seen here. (http://216.25.120.66/Uploads/January/ACF3B7.jpg)

Near the end of the barrel on the right side behind the front sight are two lines of text.

Top line: "GERMAN 8MM"
Bottom line: "CAI ST ALB VT"

The serial number on the receiver is B531. That also appears on the bolt handle. All other parts of note are marked either 531 or simply 31

The front sight has side guards that are not curved and angle upward on either side of the front blade. A 10 inch cleaning rod threads in just under the barrel. The gun also has a leather sling that looks like it could be close to original.

The only other thing unique to this gun is that a section of the stock was apparently replaced where the rear sling mount is located. It looks like someone cut out a part of the stock and replaced it. The job was very well done and the grain of the wood is nearly a perfect match. The finish of the wood on the two pieces is a perfect match. The dings and minor scratches match up on both pieces, so I assume that this is original.

Here (http://216.25.120.66/Uploads/February/ACF2660.jpg) is a picture of the gun. Please note that this is not the *actual* gun, but one exactly like it.

The wood on this gun is dinged up a fair bit, but the metal is in good shape with only a bit of pitting.

Finally, here are my questions: What more can anyone tell me about this gun? Year of manufacture? Location? Was it originally a 6.5mm and rebuilt to be an 8mm? Where and when? How many were made, and how rare is this gun? What is it worth?

I believe that it is fairly common and is probably worth more than $100. Not sure how much more though.

Thanks in advance for your help.

-Dave

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RKBA!

"The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security"
Ohio Constitution, Article I, Section 4
Concealed Carry is illegal in Ohio.
Ohioans for Concealed Carry Website (http://www.ofcc.net)

James K

February 18, 2000, 06:59 PM

The rifle is a Mauser-Vergueiro, a combination of the Mauser and Mannlicher designs. It has a separate bolt head, and there is no dismount (middle) position on the safety. They were originally 6.5 x 58 Portuguese, but when Portugal adopted a 7.9 x 57 (8mm) rifle in 1937, they converted the old rifles to 8mm, so the import marking is correct. They once were rare in this country, but many have recently been imported and they are quite inexpensive today, running about $100+.